Astronauts and military aviators flying high-speed aircraft must be prepared to face emergency situations when cabin or cockpit environment becomes drastically altered. For example, if cabin or cockpit pressure is lost at extremely high altitudes or in outer space, breathing becomes difficult due to distention of the chest. Another problem which can be encountered is excessive G-forces which cause pooling of blood within the abdominal area of the pilot or astronaut. As a consequence, an individual may encounter loss of consciousness.
In the past, a number of separate approaches has been adopted to preclude the effects of either of these emergencies from taking their toll. However, such approaches involved cluttering a cockpit or space vehicle cabin with cumbersome and heavy equipment which is obviously a definite detriment. Furthermore, much of the prior art equipment for countering the discussed emergency situations is not portable and can therefore be useless in the event of pilot egress from a plane or space craft.